Random freebies

Given the fact that I’m in a magazine writing class this semester and I took magazine editing and production last semester, I am very much into mags at the moment. After registering for a subscription to Oprah‘s magazine, O, I got an email for two free issues of Real Simple. I got my first issue today and I’m LOVING “The Insider’s guide to everyday deals.” Since most you are not going to run out and subscribe to Real Simple, I thought I would share some of the most noteworthy bargains.

1. If you’ve been keeping up with C3, then you know that I am an Amazon lover. Besides textbook deals, they also have great offers on music, including FREE MP3’s. Just go HERE, and scroll through the left side of the page and click on Free Songs & Special Deals. That’s where I found a slew of free songs. You can sample before purchasing. I chose Spoon’s  “Got Nuffin.” The download was short and sweet, I just had to install the Amazon MP3 Downloader and the song was automatically added to my iTunes. Don’t forget, you have to register with Amazon before you can benefit from the free music. Happy downloading!

 

Image via Wikipedia

2. Eat Drink Deals is a site that rounds up coupons from many chain restaurants and passes them on to YOU. Although some of them are places that can’t be found in the Tricities area, there may be eateries from your hometown or where you might be visiting shortly. Some of the most noteworthy include the buy 10 wings, get 10 free ALL DAY tomorrow (Oct. 10)  at Hooter’s. KFC is giving an additional four free pieces of chicken with any 10-piece or larger. There’s also a great Red Lobster coupon for $4 off two adult dinner entrees.

3. Free games at Miniclip. Tired of Farmville on Facebook? (I doubt it) Miniclip offers all sorts of time-wasing games FOR FREE. (I’m jealous of people who have time to play these games!)

 

Image via Wikipedia

4. Free Apps at freeappaday.com.  Each day, a new freebie is released for iPod, iPad and Android. I’m pretty sure most of them are games, but it’ free!

In case you didn’t know about Pandora

An example of what Pandora looks like.

It has come to my attention that not everyone knows about the glorious free gift called Pandora.  (If you already do, why not pass this link along to your mom or uncle. All the explaining is done for you!) The FREE online radio is a music recommendation service based on the Music Genome Project, which analyzes music attributes such as key tonality, vocal harmonies and rhythm syncopation to determine what music you would best enjoy based on other artists and songs you already listen to.

You have the choice to listen to many pre-loaded stations such as my personal favorites “John Mayer Radio” and “80s Pop Radio,” or you may design your own station. Mine’s called “Marshy’s Mix Radio,” which plays everything from the White Stripes to Earth, Wind & Fire to Allison Krauss. Check out my Pandora profile HERE or click on any of my stations, which are listed in my Pandora feed on the right side of the page.

To further personalize your station, you have the choice to give each song a”thumbs up” or a “thumbs down,” so that the player can get a better idea of what music best suits you. Pandora also gives you info on the artist, names other similar artists, shows lyrics, and provides a link to buy the track.

Each song displays artists similar to the one you're listening to

Pandora users have the choice to give each song a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

I love that Pandora is online so that I can listen anywhere–at school,home, work, etc.. It’s a nice alternative for when my iPod is dead, plus, it is a great way to find out about new artists and to listen to a lot of other ones that I haven’t quite had the cash to buy yet. (I’m assuming you are NOT an illegal downloader) I also synced Pandora with my Facebook, so that I know about songs my “friends” and I both like: Instant conversation starter!

However, there are a few downsides to Pandora. The FREE music is limited to 40 hours per month, which may sound like a lot, but my account is almost tapped out for September. Once the free tunes are gone, you can pay 99 cents for unlimited radio play for the rest of the month, pay $36 for a year of unlimited music through Pandora One or just refrain yourself from logging in until next month.  Another thing that’s a bit annoying are the ads, which is what makes Pandora a freebie. Ads for big names such as McDonald’s, Bud Light and Secret Deodorant take up the entire page. Also, know that audio and video commercials will play randomly, especially if you decide to flip forward to the next song. They aren’t nearly as frequent as FM radio commercials, however, and I’ve never heard any annoying car dealer ads.

Even though I don’t have this technology available to myself, it’s good to note that there is a Pandora App for iPhone and Android users.  And according to this recent article, Pandora is teaming up with TiVo as well.

Happy listening! Leave comments about any awesome stations you’ve found or created!

On a final note, Pandora recently turned five-years-old, read about it HERE.

Noise Trade

In the world of music, cheap is always good! Yes, I too was once an illegal downloader of epic proportions. Dating a musician changed my point of view, however. I realized that although us musically challenged folks go to concerts as entertainment and an escape from the daily grind, the actual musicians are working. They have practiced, prepared and written music, which is no easy task. The way I see it, musicians should be compensated for their work.

Now that you’ve gotten through my rant, let me say that while I support artists, I’m not necessarily too excited about paying the salaries of these big time label executives. That’s why I can admire a Web site like Noise Trade.

Noise Trade is a place for independent artists to provide their music for download without charging customers $1.29 per song. The site is a Flash widget. You can preview full songs from a HUGE list of artists before deciding to download. All you have to do to download is give the site your email and zip code, then you must tell others about your free music gift via Facebook or Twitter by signing in and posting a generic entry about the fact that you just downloaded free music. You are also given the option to tip the artist anything from $1 to $100, which is a pretty cool feature.

Then, Noise Trade emails you a link to download the mp3.

image via Myspace

As you can see on my Twitter feed listed on the C3 homepage, I downloaded Alvin Love’s “All Night.” The prefabricated entry also provides a link for my Twitter followers, so they may download Alvin’s song as well.

I’m not going to assume you have a conscience about stealing music like I do. But if you do, don’t fear because according to the About page on Noise Trade, artists are actually benefiting from the site. Because they get your zip code and email address, they know where their fans are located and can book shows accordingly. Plus, the artist can send you email updates and perhaps, if you become a legit fan, you will buy their T-shirts and stickers!

I’m diggin’ this song. Here’s the acoustic version from YouTube: